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Information about Planning Committee

The Terms of Reference for this body are available to view in Part 3 of the Constitution.

 

 

Site Visits and Reconvened Meetings

Receipt of Late Correspondence

Public Speaking at the Planning Committee

Planning Committee Members Code of Good Practice

Planning Scheme of Delegation

 

Site Visits & Reconvened Meetings

 

Please note that at Planning Committee meetings the Committee can decide to defer applications for a site visit.  Site Visits usually take place on the Thursday following the Planning Committee Meeting on a Monday.  Notification of the sites to be visited will be published on this site when necessary. 

 

Following the Site Visits, the Committee will reconvene (usually back at the Council Offices) to determine the application/s.  For further information please contact Democratic Services on 01553 616276.

 

Receipt of Late Correspondence

 

Please note that any correspondence received after the publication of the agenda must be received by the Planning Department before 5.15 pm one clear working day before the meeting – this is usually the Thursday. If it is not received by this time we cannot guarantee that it will be taken into account when the application is considered.

 

Public Speaking at the Planning Committee

 

The Council is committed to open government and public involvement in the planning process. As part of this commitment, certain members of the public and parish councils have the right to speak about planning applications to the Planning Committee.

 

The following information will help you to understand this process and sets out the procedure which must be followed. 

 

How can I find out when an application will be considered?

 

Very broadly, applications may be considered by the Planning Committee if:

A member of the Council has requested that it be considered;

Views have been received which are contrary to the officer recommendation, and which raise issues showing wide concern;

In some instances when a Parish Council has expressed a view contrary to the officer recommendations;

The proposal conflicts with policy but there are other reasons for support.

Otherwise the decision is likely to be made by the officers.

 

Meetings are held roughly every four weeks, usually on a Monday.

 

The meetings follow an agenda which is published on the website 5 working days before the meeting is scheduled to take place.

 

Please note that any correspondence received after the publication of the agenda must be received by the Planning Department before 5.15 pm one clear working day before the meeting – this is usually the Thursday. If it is not received by this time we cannot guarantee that it will be taken into account when the application is considered.

 

If you have expressed a view in writing about a proposal and, (if the application is to be considered by the Planning Committee), you wish to speak at the meeting, it is your responsibility to check whether the application is included in the agenda.  You can do this by contacting the Planning Officer or the Planning Administrator or by viewing a copy of the Agenda on the Borough Council's website.

 

Who can speak at the meeting?

 

If the application is to be considered by the Planning Committee you may speak to the Board only if you have already written to the Council as:

An objector to a proposal;

A supporter of a proposal (including the applicant/agent)

You are a representative of the Parish Council.

However, if there is more than one person who either objects to or supports a proposal, a representative of the relevant group needs to be chosen to address the Committee.  Failure to arrange this beforehand may forfeit the right to speak.  Normally only one speaker (not including the Parish Council) will be allowed to speak for each 'side'.

 

If the application is for major development, two speakers are permitted to speak in support of the proposal and two speakers are permitted to speak against the proposal..

 

What can I say?

 

You can only speak about issues which you, or the other objectors/supporters, have already raised in written comments to the Council.

 

It will help if you are clear and concise and confine your points to relevant planning issues.

 

You may not:

Enter into any discussion or debate on the proposal;

Ask any questions of Councillors, the other party or anyone else at the meeting;

Use any equipment, however, documents which are already before the Council (e.g. site plan) can be displayed for you to refer to.

At the Chairman's discretion, questions may be put to you by Members after you have spoken.

 

How long can I speak for?

 

You can speak for a maximum of three minutes either supporting or objecting to the application, unless the application is for major development, in which case two speakers will be permitted to speak for or against the application for five minutes per person.

 

You will be invited by the Chairman to address the Committee immediately before the application is to be considered.

 

Items will generally be considered in the order in which they appear on the agenda, although the Chairman may use discretion to alter the order.

 

You should therefore be prepared to attend the meeting for some time before your item is considered.  However, once it has been considered you may wish to stay or leave the meeting.

 

How do I arrange to speak at the meeting?

 

You must notify Planning Admin on 01553 616818 or 616234  or email borough.planning@west-norfolk.gov.uk  of your intention to speak by 12 noon on the working day before the meeting (usually the Friday).

 

Do I have to speak to the Committee for my views to be considered?

 

No.  If you have written to the Council regarding a planning application your views will be summarised in the published report and taken into consideration.

 

You may also consider contacting your Ward Councillor who, (even if not a member of the Planning Committee), can explain your issues to the meeting.  However, the Councillor is not your representative and may also express other views.

 

What if I have further queries?

 

The Council has attempted to make this procedure as fair and as easy to operate as possible within the guidelines which the Government sets out for determining planning applications.

 

If you have any questions that have not been answered by the information given in this leaflet, please contact us.

 

Contact Details

 

Please contact the Area Planning Officer dealing with the application or:

 

Planning Admin, Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, King's Court, Chapel Street, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 1EX  

 

Tel: 01553 616818 or 616234 

Fax: 01553 691663

E-mail: borough.planning@west-norfolk.gov.uk